Mexican film "Güeros" wins Best First Feature Award in Berlin

Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios won the Best First Feature Award for his film "Güeros" at the Berlin International Film Festival.

"Güeros" is a road movie that tells a story about friendship against a backdrop of youth protests for the right to an education.

The movie, which was shot in black and white, was a hit at the Berlinale, where festivalgoers raved about the story of three young men who leave a ramshackle dwelling in search of a singer from another generation.

Ruizpalacios said in a press conference that he was extremely pleased with the success of his first venture in the feature-length genre.

"We are very happy, we did not expect to get so far, we just wanted to make this film, which started when I was unemployed, making it a sort of therapy for me," the director said.

Ruizpalacios, who was born in 1978, said the idea for the film came to him when he thought about what it would be like to talk with one of the idols of his youth, Bob Dylan.

"I think it would be very disappointing if I really met him, I think most of these kinds of meetings normally are disappointing, if you encounter your fantasies," Ruizpalacios said.

China's "Bai Ri Yan Huo" ("Black Coal, Thin Ice"), directed by Diao Yinan, won the Golden Bear for Best Film, the top prize at the Berlinale, beating out the favorite, "Boyhood," whose director, American Richard Linklater, walked away with the Silver Bear for Best Director. EFE